Cold weather, Zamboni good for ice rink

<b>Barb Yocum/ Courtesy photo </b>Tom Yocum drives a Zamboni, donated earlier this year, on the ice rink at Town Park in December. The resurfacer and consistent cold temperatures are improving the ice on the outdoor rink this season

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SNOWMASS VILLAGE --Consistent cold temperatures and a donated Zamboni have helped improve the ice on the rink at Town Park, according to co-founder Tom Yocum.

"The cold weather has got it looking really good," he said.

The rink, which opened in December this year, is constructed annually on the rodeo grounds. It is free to use and open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Zamboni donated this year also helps make the ice "slick," Yocum said. That same donor has also provided base boards and a trailer.

Last fall, the town agreed to contribute $25,000 to help with maintenance.

"It's becoming more a place to be," Yocum said at the Jan. 7 Town Council meeting, when he thanked the officials for the town's support. "That's going to, I think, become an integral part of the rodeo/ ice rink area down there."

Councilman Chris Jacobson asked Yocum if he would be interested in some help with advertising from the town marketing board.

Yocum said getting the town involved with scheduling recreation events as well as advertising would be helpful.

"It's going to ultimately put heads on beds," he said. "If you have a rink here and two rinks in town you've got now the basis of a good tournament."

Jacobson said he thinks a lot of people don't know about the rink and that the marketing board could help address that.

"And like you said, the rec center, if we need to work out a skating rental situation or something we have room to move on that," Jacobson said.

Yocum responded that a party is possibly interested in donating a trailer and set of skates so that the rink could offer rentals and a warming room sometime in the next few weeks.